ORANGE -- Senate candidate Sylvester Salcedo is not shy about his focus. He's against the "war on drugs," and he's willing to travel 2,000 miles to show it.

Salcedo is a fresh face in politics. He's perhaps not as well known as some Democratic opponents, such as 5th District U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy or former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.

"This is America's third war, and it's been going on for 40 years," he said.

So, Salcedo is taking a road trip. On Wednesday, he will head to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to "express sympathy and condolences" to the victims of the drug war "in a place that has suffered so much."

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The violence is no secret. According to Howard Campbell, professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso, Nuevo Laredo "was the first place where the violence exploded."

Campbell said in the United States, the "war" is seen as an effort to keep drugs out of the country as drug cartels fight to control exportation.

"In Mexico, it's seen that the American market for drugs created this whole problem," Campbell said. "The problem was caused by Americans."

According to Campbell, the conservative estimate is 50,000 people have died as a result of the drug war; others say 90,000.

Salcedo, as a lieutenant commander in the Navy, worked as an intelligence officer, helping to foil drug gangs in several countries.

He has been a vocal opponent of the drug war since deciding to leave the service. He returned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal he received for his work.

Salcedo's plan is simple -- drive 30 hours to the border town, spend an hour or two there, and drive back. He's got a law practice to maintain, after all, and a Senate campaign and a 2-year-old son to manage.

The purpose of the trip is to "express my shared views with our neighbors to the South, like former President Vicente Fox, who is supporting drug legalization ... and a truce with the major drug cartel leaders."

Another motivation is Mexican poet and peace activist Javier Sicilia. He was doing a reading in the Philippines when he heard the news that his son, Juan Francisco Sicilia Ortega, had been killed as a result of drug-related violence.

Salcedo is of Philippine descent (and lived there with his parents for a time), and was touched when he heard that Sicilia said he could no longer write poetry after his son's death. "I've been trying to reach out to him ever since," Salcedo said.

So, he's heading to Mexico. He says he's invited his Democratic opponents "to share the gas mileage." He sent invitations to all and approached some in person.

"They mostly just kind of chuckled," he said.

The Bysiewicz campaign said it has not received the request. Murphy's office said "his schedule is pretty full these days, between his voting schedule and traveling across Connecticut."